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Ask Slashdot: For What Are You Using 3-D Printing?
An anonymous reader writes: I've been thinking about getting a 3-D printer for a while: the quality is rising, the software is better, STL files really do seem a sufficiently good standard ("sufficiently standard," that is — I'm not worried that printers are going to stop supporting it anytime soon), and prices have dropped quite a bit. Importantly to me, it also seems like less of a jumping-off-a-cliff decision, since I can get a completely assembled one from places as wild and crazy as ... the Home Depot (not that I plan to). However, even the stretchiest practical things I can think of to print can't truly actually justify the price, and that's OK — I hope not to require enough replacement knobs and chess pieces to necessarily *need* one, and playing around with it is the main likely upshot, which I'm OK with. But still, I'd like to hear what uses you have been putting your 3-D printer to, including printers that aren't yours but belong to a hackerspace, public library, eccentric neighbor, etc. What actually practical / useful tasks have you been using 3-D printing for, and with what printer technology? What playful purposes? It's OK if you just keep printing out those chess pieces and teapots, but I'm curious about less obvious reasons to have one around. (And I might just use the local Tech Shop's anyhow, but the question still applies.) If you've purchased a 3D printer, are you happy with the experience? If so, or if not, what kind did you get?
They're quite useful if you know what you're doing. For example, you have some kind of toy, gadget, device and whatnot...that's missing the battery cover? Hard to find...even on eBay, so what do you do? Fire up your favourite 3D software and make one. Works like a charm.
If you're working in advertisement/merchandise production... you can make small prototype samples of what you want to have mass produced, this ensures that your oversea production don't get it wrong (and they always do, trust me!) Shipping a sample of what you want mass produced, is a dream come true, and fortunately for (me) most of my competitors have no clue that this can be done, so they still do it the old fashioned way (try to tell the production team with drawings and talk over the phone with a foreign team that hardly understands English).
Pictures say more than a 1000 words they say, well...a prototype object to hold in your hand says more than 1000 pictures.
3D printers are a godsend.
What this world is coming to - is for you and me to decide.
Most stuff people interact with don't get 105 degrees C though. If you needed to make an enclosure for something or fix a piece of existing ABS/PLA plastic that broke, that's what you use a 3D printer for. You can also make prototypes for objects that you then send to a commercial printer, laser cutting facility or CNC mill to get created in the appropriate material.
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
I see some of them commuting into downtown Chicago for their jobs in the financial district and wonder what went into their decisions to purchase such vehicles.
Conspicuous consumption mostly, with a hint of posering. They see that ranchers and cowboys are seen as manly, and want to be seen as manly too. So they buy a truck, which is what cowboys and ranchers drive. And of course only the latest and most bad ass will do, so it gets the full treatment: Lift kit, over-sized tires, brushguard, fog lamps, the whole works. Of course they will never use even a quarter of the features they bought, but that doesn't matter cause it is all about appearances.
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the (supposed) good of its victims may be the most oppressive
Have you ever had a LEGO brick turn squishy on you? Because that's what they're made of, ABS plastic.
It's a plenty tough enough material that I used it to manufacture parts for a geodesic dome for outdoor use as a greenhouse, and it held up fine. I also manufactured gears for a friends high end RC car after the manufacturer had gone out of business. Those gears see a lot of stress, and they held up fine.
ABS is a great material, and so is PLA.
-1 Uncomfortable Truth